photo diary / how I fell in love with Edinburgh

I don't even know where to start. I fell in love with Edinburgh big time. Just like Dublin during the summer, Edinburgh seems to be yet another northern city that got my heart! I loved everything about it: the atmosphere, the architecture, the northern vibe, the people, the food... So many incredible things to see up there. Plus it's the place where J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter, which means there are places everywhere in the city that are said to have inspired her! Crazy cool, I know. So here are my favorite things to see, do and eat in Edinburgh:

- stay -

• we stayed at The Roxburghe, a beautiful and oh so cozy place that instantly made us feel at home! Our room was seriously inspiring and this hotel definitely made our stay a great one.

- eat -

• on one night we had dinner at Hadrian's Brasserie, which is a really cool restaurant in The Balmoral, the hotel in which J.K. Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (in other words, a Potterhead must visit) It was quite pricey but the food was really nice, the atmosphere was lovely as well and from a veggie point of view I was quite happy with the menu!
• we also ate at Maison Bleue once, and again it was really yummy and cute! the restaurant is located in an old house, with rather small floors and a narrow staircase, which gives a very cozy feeling to the place.
• I also wanted to recommend Pumpkin Brown, a vegan place where we had lunch - it's super small but the food is really nice!

- visit -

• so many Harry Potter things to see: we went to Greyfriars Kirkyard, a graveyard where you can see a grave with Tom Riddle's name on it - pretty amazing! we accidentally went there at twilight and we had a hard time finding the grave we were looking for so it was a bit creepy, but still really cool. Then there's also The Elephant House, which is a cafe where J.K. Rowling used to write when she first started. We passed by but didn't stop for a drink, as it was pretty crowded. Finally, you absolutely HAVE to see Victoria Street, which is supposed to have inspired Diagon Alley.
• the Edinburgh Castle was also really cool in my opinion - we did not visit it properly but it's still worth going near the entrance, and also catch the nice view from Grassmarket - it really does look like Hogwarts from that angle!
• Calton Hill is also a must see in my opinion, the view you get on the city is so nice!

- shop -

• I absolutely fell in love with Hannah Zakari, a really cute jewelry store a few steps away from Greyfriars Kirkyard.
• Then I also loved The Red Door Gallery for prints.
• And of course all the cool english shops: Oliver Bonas, All Saints, The White Company, etc. on George Street and Princes Street.

I hope you guys will like these few tips, thanks for stopping by and enjoy Edinburgh if you're planning a visit! It's definitely worth it.